MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. (WXIN) — The scheduled sentencing of a Miami County man who was investigated for his possible connection to the Delphi murder investigation hit a last-minute snag Thursday.
Kegan Kline told the Court that there’s evidence against him he hasn’t yet seen and now he’s having second thoughts about pleading guilty.
Kline faces 25 counts of child pornography and other charges that were discovered during the investigation into the murders of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge outside of Delphi in February of 2017.
Kline has never been charged in that case.
Earlier this year Kline agreed to plead guilty to the charges including obstruction of justice and identity theft.
He could face as little as six years in prison, with time served and sentence suspended, should the judge choose to sentence him on all charges concurrently, or, spend decades behind bars if the terms are ordered to run consecutively.
On May 9, Miami County Deputy Prosecutor Jennifer Kiefer filed a briefing with the Court arguing for consecutive terms as many of the charges arise from separate crimes.
In an August 2020 transcript of an interview with Indiana State troopers that Kline claims he hasn’t seen, detectives advise him that he could be facing 45 years in prison if convicted.
Nexstar’s WXIN has reported on those transcripts for more than a year as Kline discussed his social media contacts with young girls and whether he was communicating with Libby the night before her death utilizing a fake social media personae.
Today’s court hearing was delayed an hour and twenty minutes as attorneys conferred with Judge Timothy Spahr in chambers.
When they emerged into the courtroom, Defense Counsel Andrew Achey announced that his client reserved the right to withdraw his guilty plea, claiming that he was yet to read the transcript of his statements to police.
Kiefer disagreed, arguing that the transcripts were a representation of Kline’s own words, and as for the request for a continuation, “Kegan Kline wants this to drag out as long as possible.”
Judge Spahr asked Achey if he was aware of his client’s claim to have not reviewed the transcripts and the attorney acknowledged he was not.
Spahr agreed to give both sides until May 26th to file motions regarding the continuance and set a status conference for June 1st to determine if Kline had reviewed the transcripts and wished to withdraw his plea.
The judge also reset Kline’s sentencing hearing, should the plea stand, for July 27.
Upon leaving the courtroom, Achey confirmed to Nexstar’s WXIN that he was previously unaware that his client was claiming to have not reviewed the transcripts of his interview.
Kiefer declined comment as she was asked to elaborate on her argument that Kline was engaged in a delay tactic.
Twice late last summer Kline was granted delays in hearings while his attorney assured the Court that his client was involved in negotiations with the prosecutors office.
At that time, Indiana State Police divers spent several days in the Wabash River in Peru presumably searching for evidence.
Richard Allen has been charged with the murders of the girls.
The Miami County Prosecutor’s Office released the following statement:
